Both handhelds come with a variety of preloaded apps and games, including Flipnote Studio, Nintendo DSi Camera and Nintendo DSi Sound. The larger Nintendo DSi XL throws in a few extras, too, in the shape of Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock.

Previously, the DSi had been retailing for $149.99, meaning this is a $50 saving, while the DSi XL was $169.99, for a $40 saving. The glasses-free 3D capable Nintendo 3DS, the company’s current portable flagship, has a street price of around $177 at present.

Nintendo posted its first ever annual loss in the last financial year, blaming desperate price-cuts for the 3DS  - which took it below cost price – for the shortfall in cash. However, the company has said it expects to return to profit in the current financial year.

The main game that is included with the bundle packs is the Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem title. This game has players helping Mario to rescue Pauline by guiding the Mini Mario through over 200 puzzle levels using the stylus on the touch screen. The game lets the player download additional levels as well.

The DSi XL bundle also has Brain Age Express: Math, Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, and Photo Clock pre-installed as well. Either of the bundle colors will sell for $169.99 and will be available starting November 6.

The Mario-red, limited edition Wii bundle includes the console itself, together with a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a red Wii Remote Plus controller, Wii Sports and a red Nunchuk controller.  It’ll be priced at $199.99.  Meanwhile the Mario-red Nintendo DSi XL bundle comes with Mario Kart DS and is priced at $179.99.

As for the Wii Remote Plus controller – which integrates a regular Wiimote with a MotionPlus add-on – that will be $39.99 on its own or included in all hardware bundles from November 7 onwards.  The FlingSmash bundle will be $49.99.

Press Release:

Nintendo Announces Red-Hot Bundles, New Wii Remote Plus Controller

The Best Video Game Value for the Holidays Just Got Even Better

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo has everyone’s holiday shopping list covered with an array of great new products. These include Mario™-red, limited-edition Wii™ and Nintendo DSi XL™ system bundles that celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros.™ game on the NES™ and a new Wii Remote™ Plus controller that has Wii MotionPlus™ motion technology built right in. Nintendo already offers tremendous video game value, and these products will make it even easier for shoppers to find fun at a great price. All new products go on sale in North America on Nov. 7, and the limited-edition products will be available while supplies last.

“Whether shoppers want to add a cool new look to their gaming setup or expand their supply of controllers with an exciting game, Nintendo offers a great value for the holidays,” said Marc Franklin, Nintendo of America’s director of Public Relations. “For anyone who is still on the fence about whether to join the world of video games, we’re offering many fun, easy, economical ways to get involved.”

The lineup of products launching Nov. 7 includes:

Red Wii Bundle: This limited-edition Wii hardware comes in beautiful red to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The bundle includes New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii and a new red Wii Remote Plus controller, in addition to all the other included items, like Wii Sports™ and a red Nunchuk™ controller. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $199.99.

Red Nintendo DSi XL Bundle: This special-edition Nintendo DSi XL bundle is also red in honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and features three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics. The bundle comes with Mario Kart™ DS, which looks gorgeous on the extra-large screen. That’s in addition to the pre-loaded software of Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $179.99.

Wii Remote Plus: This new controller combines the original, iconic Wii Remote™ controller with built-in Wii MotionPlus functionality. The compact Wii Remote Plus controller offers players precision motion controls all in one unit. It becomes the new standard Wii controller, and will be available from now on in all Wii hardware packages and bundles, as well as sold separately at a suggested retail price of $39.99.

FlingSmash™ Bundle: The new Wii game combines the hands-on fun of tennis with the nonstop action and instant gratification of pinball. It requires use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, so it seemed natural to bundle it with the new Wii Remote Plus controller. For a suggested retail price of $49.99, shoppers get to enjoy both the game and the controller in one package.

Remember that Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.4 billion video games and more than 565 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

Nintendo are billing the price cut as a generous offer to US customers wanting to squeeze the value out of every dollar, though we’d also wager that tumbling DSi sales had something to do with it as well.  The company dropped Japanese prices for the handhelds back in June.

Of course, it also gives them the opportunity to clear stock ahead of the 3DS launch, about which Nintendo are expected to reveal more details come September 29th.

Press Release:

Nintendo Dropping Prices of Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL Systems on Sept. 12

Latest Versions of Best-Selling Portable Video Game System in History to Be Priced at $149.99 and $169.99

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price of its Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™ video game systems. Effective Sept. 12, the new suggested retail price of the Nintendo DSi system will be $149.99, while the new suggested retail price for the Nintendo DSi XL system will be $169.99. The Nintendo DS™ Lite model will remain at a suggested retail price of $129.99. The Nintendo DS family of video game systems is the best-selling in the history of the U.S. and worldwide. The new prices offer consumers tremendous value for their money while providing access to the best portable video game experiences possible.

“We know shoppers want to get the maximum value out of every dollar they spend,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our new Nintendo DSi prices make it easier than ever for consumers to access the tremendous variety of games, applications and social tools on the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems.”

The Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems offer consumers access to more than 1,300 packaged games and more than 200 downloadable games. Both systems feature two built-in cameras and photo- and sound-manipulation software that provide for a more social experience. Users can wirelessly upload photos to Facebook with the touch of a button (wireless broadband Internet access required). The Nintendo DSi XL system, which features a screen that is 93 percent larger than that of the Nintendo DS Lite, comes pre-loaded with software like Brain Age™ Express: Math, Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Flipnote Studio™, Photo Clock and the Nintendo DSi Browser.

Through the end of July, total Nintendo DS family hardware sales are more than 42.3 million in the United States alone, according to the NPD Group. Recent and upcoming software releases for the Nintendo DS family of systems include DRAGON QUEST® IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies™ (now available), Professor Layton and the Unwound Future™ (Sept. 12), Pokémon™ Ranger: Guardian Signs (Oct. 4), Art Academy™ (Oct. 25), Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Mini-Land Mayhem! (Nov. 14) and Golden Sun™: Dark Dawn (Nov. 29).

Remember that Nintendo DSi features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendodsi.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.4 billion video games and more than 565 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at www.nintendo.com.

Everyone, including Nintendo, knows that the Nintendo DSi XL isn’t doing all that well. At least not here in the States. It was doing quite well for itself over in Japan, but once it hit store shelves locally, sales slumped. In an industry that’s getting smaller in most cases, adding 40% overall size to the mobile gaming platform may have not been the best bet. In any event, Nintendo wants to go ahead and freshen up the line-up, adding the Midnight Blue color to their current models available in stores.

The unit will be available starting on July 11th. It will cost you $189.99, and there’s absolutely nothing different about this model when compared to the others in the line-up. Other than the distinctive color, that is. So, are you going to go run out there and grab one for yourself, or are you going to wait for the Nintendo 3DS? It is “cool,” after all.

[via Engadget]

Business performance overall was, Nintendo say, impacted by a strong yen and a price reduction on Wii hardware.  Still, overseas sales accounted for 84.1-percent of the company’s 1,434.3 billion yen net sales, with net income of 228.6 billion yen.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has already said that the company intends to ”enhance the ability to combat piracy in Europe through both legal and technological means”, predominantly through developing consoles that won’t play pirated titles, but it seems they’ll also have to challenge attitudes toward game ownership.  ”Everybody is using [magicom],” one gamer is quoted as saying, “and I don’t feel like I am doing something particularly wrong.”

[via Kotaku]

“Apparently, the Japanese press was all over it and talked with suppliers there and Nintendo just wanted to get out ahead by breaking the news to prevent a leak.  Does it clash with the DSi XL? Yes it does” Billy Pigeon, senior analyst, M2 Research

The news couldn’t have come at a worse time for Nintendo of America, what with the DSi XL – which we reviewed yesterday – going on sale shortly after the 3DS was confirmed.  However, it seems Nintendo prioritized their Japanese audience; the DSi XL – as the DSi LL – has been on sale in Japan for several months now.

[via Kotaku]

In the process, iFixit came across the 25-percent larger battery and a separate WiFi card that can be removed from the DSi XL’s mainboard.  There’s also been a redesigned battery connector, which will hopefully be less prone to damage (the old one was a long ribbon cable that snaked across the handheld).

However, many of the other components – such as the flash and RAM controllers – are the same as what you’d find in the DSi, and of course the DSi XL’s displays, while bigger, run at the same resolution.  We’ll have our review of the Nintendo DSi XL up this week.

Other hardware news is that the DS2 will have an integrated accelerometer, which RPad.TV aren’t too impressed by but which could indicate Nintendo are looking to leverage the larger panels and customer hunger for ebooks to better position the handheld as a portable reading platform (like a mini enTourage eDGe, though without the E Ink).  The dev kit, meanwhile, is believed to be as powerful as that of the GameCube, and developers are said to find it straightforward if they’re experienced in creating GameCube and/or Wii titles.

In fact developers who claim to have experience with the dev kit say it has very little learning curve.  Previous tips have suggested the next-gen Nintendo DS will use NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset.  As for those titles themselves, development is expected to be completed before the end of the year, and in fact the DS2 itself is tipped for a potential E3 2010 announcement and late 2010 release.  However, that could change if strong sales of the existing-gen DS variants continue.

[via Kotaku; image credit Phil Nolan]

Nintendo reckon this is a nifty workaround for handhelds that lack an analog joystick for more proportional control, as well as maintaining a more “realistic” in-game feel than joysticks manage.  The on-screen wheel could be pulled left and right, as is traditional, or it could be linked to other movements and gestures, such as dragging a stylus up or down the display.

There’s even talk of a new peripheral, a combination strap and thumb-stylus that the gamer could wear on their finger for closer, more precise control than the standard pen.  It all seems a little too “obvious” for a patent, at least to us, but then we’re not the USPTO.

[via GoRumors]

As well as the burgundy unit we’ve seen in press shots, Nintendo will also release a bronze version; each will come with a larger, pen-style stylus for easier use of the DSi XL’s touchscreen.  Pre-loaded will be Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock, as well as two free applications: the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio.

On the same date, two other titles for DSi will be released: America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking and WarioWare: D.I.Y. Over the following months the company will release Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (May 18th), Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal (October) and Monster Hunter Tri (April 20th); more details, plus other games, in the press release below.

Press Release:

NINTENDO REVEALS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE LINEUP FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 2010

Nintendo Announces Launch Dates for Nintendo DSi XL,Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 24, 2010 – Nintendo of America issued a surge of new information today about what consumers can expect from the company in the coming months. Let’s get right to it:

The new Nintendo DSi XL™ hand-held system launches March 28 at a suggested retail price of $189.99. The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93 percent larger than those of the Nintendo DS™ Lite model, providing a more vivid and engaging play experience. The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL also feature a wider viewing angle, letting friends and family members join the fun. The new system launches in both Burgundy and Bronze colors, and comes loaded with pre-installed premium software Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock, as well as two free applications: the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio™. Nintendo DSi XL will also come with a larger pen-like stylus that allows for a more comfortable grip and enhanced ease of use when playing games that use the Nintendo DS touch screen. America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking and WarioWare™: D.I.Y. will also launch for the Nintendo DS family of products on March 28, providing consumers with new content that can be enjoyed on any Nintendo DS system. Games like these demonstrate the enhanced experience available with the Nintendo DSi XL.

Super Mario Galaxy™ 2, the sequel to the smash-hit galaxy-hopping original game, launches May 23 for the Wii™ console. The game includes the amazing gravity-defying, physics-based exploration from the first game, but is loaded with entirely new galaxies and features to challenge and delight players. On some stages, Mario™ can pair up with his dinosaur buddy Yoshi™ and use his tongue to grab items and spit them back at enemies. Players can also have fun with new items such as a drill that lets our hero tunnel through solid rock.

Metroid™: Other M, the incredible new Metroid game developed for Wii through a collaboration by Nintendo and the world-renowned Team Ninja, launches June 27. The game looks at the classic franchise from a new perspective: While much of the game is reminiscent of 2-D side-scrollers, players can switch the perspective into 3-D at any time as they explore the twisting passages of a derelict space station and delve deep into a cinematic, never-before-told story of bounty hunter Samus Aran’s past. This new approach uses a new control scheme in which players use the Wii Remote™ controller held sideways to battle enemies and navigate the expansive, gorgeous environments in classic Metroid fashion, then aim at the screen with the Wii Remote pointer to blast foes in first-person and hunt the world for clues and hidden passages.

In a unique partnership with Square-Enix, Nintendo of America will publish Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in the Americas when the game arrives in summer 2010. Dragon Quest IX has sold more than 4.15 million copies in the Japanese market. Nintendo and Square-Enix will now work together to bring this title to the Nintendo DS consumer base in the Americas.

Capcom’s Monster Hunter® Tri, an epic action game for Wii, launches in the United States on April 20. The game lets players customize their character, armor and weapons in order to protect a town from majestic monsters as that town rebuilds following a devastating earthquake. Online play will be available for all players with broadband Internet access at no additional cost. Online text chat is fully functional and online voice chat is enabled using the Wii Speak™ microphone, which is sold separately. At a suggested retail price of $59.99, limited quantities of Monster Hunter Tri will include the new Black Classic Controller Pro™, while both Black and White versions of the controller will be available separately at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The game will also be available without a controller at a suggested retail price of $49.99.

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, the breakthrough shooter game for Wii from legendary developer Treasure, will launch across North America on June 7. The game features nonstop action with two playable characters and international online leaderboards to track high scores. Using the Wii Remote pointer functionality, the game offers unprecedented precision in the shooter genre.

FlingSmash™ for Wii will test players’ Wii Remote skills as they bounce a ball-like hero through countless side-scrolling stages, combining the precision of racket sports with the unpredictable fun of pinball. Playable only with the Wii MotionPlus™ accessory, the game will launch this summer.

Picross 3D is poised to become a puzzle game phenomenon when it launches for the Nintendo DS family of products on May 3. In Picross 3D, players start with a cube and smash away smaller blocks to reveal an object, shape or symbol. Delivering more than 350 unique puzzles and more made available for download on a regular basis after launch via the Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection service (broadband Internet access required), the game takes the mind-bending fun of Picross into the next dimension.

100 Classic Books transforms the Nintendo DS family of products into a library of timeless literature when it launches on June 14 at a suggested retail price of $19.99, highlighted by 100 works from authors such as William Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Jane Austen, Mark Twain and more. Readers can adjust the size of text, place bookmarks and even download new content via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service (broadband Internet connection required).

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands™ from Ubisoft will launch May 18 on both the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms. Boasting amazing graphics with fantastic action and puzzle-solving game play, the Wii version will be the first in franchise history to feature a two-player cooperative experience. As an added bonus, the Wii version of the game will exclusively include the 1992 Super NES™ version of the original Prince of Persia game.

Disney Guilty Party is the official title of the highly anticipated first collaboration between Disney Interactive Studios and its recently acquired studio, Wideload Games. The fun and hilarious mystery party game is set for release in the second half of 2010, exclusively for Wii.

Majesco’s Nintendo DSi exclusive Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal uses incredible augmented reality technology through the Nintendo DSi Camera. Launching this October, the game lets players become a ghost hunter as they interact with the paranormal.
Nintendo also announced a variety of games available to download directly to the Wii console from the Wii Shop Channel via the WiiWare™ service, and directly to the Nintendo DS via the DSi Shop and DSiWare™ services. For WiiWare:
Launching on March 1, Capcom’s Mega Man™ 10 builds upon the huge impact of Mega Man 9, a completely new adventure rendered in classic 8-bit style. This new game looks and sounds as awesomely retro as its predecessor.

Launching on March 8, Max & the Magic Marker from Press Play turns the Wii Remote into an orange magic marker that’s literally magic. Players draw lines and objects to help Max reach objects and his ultimate goal.

The long-awaited indie cult classic Cave Story comes to WiiWare with new game play, artwork and music enhancements on March 22. It’s classic gaming reborn for 2010.

Launching on March 29, WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase is a standalone product exclusive to the WiiWare service and available only from the Wii Shop Channel. The game contains more than 70 new microgames and features interoperability with the WarioWare: D.I.Y. game for the Nintendo DS family of products. Players that own both games can transfer content between the two via a local wireless connection, and can even play user-created microgames on their television using WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase.

As the techno music pulses, Nintendo’s Art Style™: light trax™ puts players in charge of a white beam of light as it engages in a surreal race against other beams across a dark track. Players must keep away from obstacles, use items and look for power boosts if they want to finish first. Art Style: light trax launches this spring.

Swim and spin through the primordial ooze in Nintendo’s Art Style: Rotozoa™ as you absorb tiny organisms that match the colors of your tentacles. As you absorb more organisms, your tentacles grow. The challenge increases as additional tentacles are gained, but power-ups can help you survive and thrive. Art Style: Rotozoa launches this spring.

Launching this spring, Rage of the Gladiator from Ghostfire Games is an intense fighting game that asks players to perfect their well-timed moves against an array of opponents. The game is compatible with the Wii MotionPlus accessory.

Launching this spring, And Yet It Moves from Broken Rules requires players to rotate the world to help their line-drawn protagonist progress. Walls become floors and floors become ceilings in this surreal twist on the platformer genre.

Launching this summer, Independent Games Festival Seumas McNally Grand Prize Finalist Super Meat Boy from Team Meat sets a cube of meat off on an adventure to save Princess Bandage. This off-the-wall game is not for the faint of heart.
For Nintendo DSiWare:
Nintendo’s Photo Dojo™ is poised to be the cult hit of 2010 when it launches this spring. The game first asks players to pose for 13 pictures and input 10 sound effects. Once that’s done, the player becomes the main character in a hilarious side-scrolling fighting game. Create up to eight characters and do battle alone or against a friend on a single Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL system.

Launching this spring, Nintendo’s Metal Torrent™ delivers a frantic barrage of gunfire that fills the screen. Players try to convert opponents’ bullets into cubes that, when collected, increase their score and fill an energy meter that powers special weapons. Online Leaderboards record scores and movies of top games.

Launching this spring, X-Scape™ from Nintendo immerses players in an exploratory adventure involving more than 20 planets. Players will pilot their tank through 3-D tunnels, fire at enemies and even battle ancient weapons that resemble giant robots.
“Nintendo finished 2009 with a bang, and we’re continuing our momentum into 2010,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Nintendo DSi XL, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M coming in the first six months of the year, we’re making sure all our fans have great game content to enjoy year-round.”

Remember that Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit www.Nintendo.com.

Instead there’s a custom mainboard specially shaped to fit into the casing, together with a particularly sturdy set of controllers and buttons that should hold up to some serious elderly-gamer hammering.  The downside is that there are copious screws involved in holding everything together, though given Nintendo aren’t exactly encouraging owners crack open their DSi LLs that’s probably not too much of a concern for most people.

The DSi LL goes on sale in the US and across Europe in Q1 2010, as the Nintendo DSi XL, though pricing is yet to be finalized.  It has dual 4.25-inch displays – the lower one being a touchscreen – together with the same twin-cameras as the DSi Lite.

Even closed, the DSi LL pretty much dwarfs the PSP still, and Sony’s console has never been the most compact of the breed.  Still, that’s the payoff to having twin 4.25-inch LCDs, and it’s one Nintendo are expecting will be welcome to the sort of gamers – the elderly and sight-impared included – who they reckon will be clamoring for the DSi LL.

US and European gamers willing to make the same compromises will be able to pick up the DSi XL (the name for the DSi LL outside of Japan) come Q1 2010.  Nintendo have also discussed the next-gen model of the DS having integrated 3G.

[via Kotaku]

That’s thanks to the upcoming IMG SGX543, which is expected to drop as a four-core 45nm chip variant into the next-gen PSP: “a single core SGX543 should match and potentially exceed the performance of Tegra 2 clock-for-clock” says DigitalFoundry.  Considering the potential of the Tegra 2, that’s quite a performance hike.

Unfortunately, there are caveats all round; the OMAP5-based dual-core SGX543 isn’t expected until 2011, and IMG have been critisized for their driver support, meaning that while the raw power may be there it remains to be seen whether game developers will be able to take advantage of it.  Meanwhile NVIDIA are better at pushing out support, and the Tegra 2 is on course for a 2010 launch.  That means the next-gen Nintendo DS could be on the market next year, potentially with integrated 3G with no subscription.

[via Kotaku]

The idea, says Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, was prompted by the Amazon Kindle, which offers 3G connectivity but doesn’t charge an ongoing fee to the owner; instead, the cost of the 3G would be integrated into the initial purchase price.  Gamers would be able to download new titles to their DS, even if they weren’t near a WiFi connection.

“I’m interested because it’s a new business model in which the user doesn’t bear the communications cost … Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn’t fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products” Satoru Iwata, president, Nintendo

However Iwata also recognizes that if they were to incorporate the 3G price into the console “customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up”; nonetheless it’s apparently a possibility they’re considering.  It seems likely that the integrated 3G would only be for game downloads, rather than online gaming, as the latter would use significantly more data.

[via I4U]

Running from left to right in the shot above are the new DSi LL, the DSi, and the Nintendo DS Lite.  Given the DSi LL has a display almost a full inch larger diagonally, there’s obviously more to fit into your pocket; as far as we’re aware, the new handheld will go on sale alongside the DSi, rather than replacing it.

Japanese buyers will be able to pick up the new DSi LL from November 21st, when it will be priced at 20,000 yen ($220).  No specific launch dates for the US and Europe; all Nintendo have confirmed is that the handheld will arrive in Q1 2010.

[via Kotaku]

Japanese buyers, however, will be able to pick up the DSi LL from November 21st, priced at 20,000 yen ($221).  It’s unlikely that Japanese versions will be able to play US or European game titles, however, so importing a DSi LL is not a feasible way to jump the queue.  Nintendo are yet to announce US or European pricing for the handheld.

[via Joystiq]